As Long As There Is A Chance
by ashford2ashford
Summary: Why does Rock Lee keep going abck to Sakura after all those rejections? No longer a One Shot. SakuLee
1. As Long As There Is A Chance

**As Long As There Is a Chance**

**Rating: **Everyone approved!

**Pairing: **Hint-age at Sakura and Lee…more from Lee's side…

**Disclaimer: **Me no own Naruto. If I did…more guy on guy action would be suggested…and I would be sued…by every nation…

**Timeline: **During the time skip. (Yes…I did something within a time line! How brave of me!)

**AN: **Yes…my second Naruto fic. Best described by just reading it. I'm terrible at summaries…I hope this one gets more reviews than my other one…but I really like this fic…it's a step up from the normally non-romantic stuff I spew out…

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**As Long As There Is a Chance**

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Lee wasn't the sort of person to hold grudges in any way, and he certainly respected Sakura's feelings on this particular mater, but…

_Why did she have to keep pining for **him?**_

It certainly wasn't that Lee was a bitter person in any way either; he was often courteous to Sakura despite countless numbers of rejections over the space of the past 2 years, but…

_Is **he** all she'll ever think about?_

Also, Lee _was_ training harder in a misguided attempt to prove to her how strong he could be, and that he was stronger than _him_, and now he could open the first four gates without tiring, and he _was_ getting faster, but…

_Every time I try to show her she's always busy pining over **him**…_

Rock Lee, the self proclaimed 'beautiful green beast' of the village of Konoha had been pining after the same woman now for the past two years. Ever since he had laid eyes on her, impressed by her sharp wits and her hidden potential, that had been it. His heart had closed to all others aside from his 'precious little cherry blossom'.

Hirono Sakura was slightly less pleased at this, for she had already turned him down flat several times, and sometimes seemed too embarrassed to even admit to anyone she had even exchanged words with him!

By now, with that amount of rejection, anyone would have thought Lee would have given up by now (and Lee sometimes thought about doing so – after all, how much rejection can one man take?) but then Sakura would _look_ at him in _that_ way, or _say_ things that made him melt away at the knees, or give _that_ smile to him; the one that was so natural and so comforting…

As far as obsessions went…Rock lee had it bad…

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"Give it up, Lee."

"Nani?"

He and Neji had exchanged words on the subject before, and Neji's attitude – much to Lee's dismay – was the one that spoke of what Lee feared doing the most…letting her go…

"She's not interested. Are those eyebrows putting a strain on your brain?" Neji's tone was bitter and distasteful; as if what he was saying was the utter obvious and that it hurt him to even spit these words out to his 'delusional' comrade.

Lee was not to be persuaded otherwise.

"But…but…she gave me all those flowers daily in the hospital! She visited me everyday, Neji!" His case was a strong one in all fairness, but Neji could find fault in even Tsunade's decisions…not that it was hard…but you get the point.

"She was doing that to try and distract her mind from the 'absent without leave' Sasuke. She soon went back to him during the Chuunin finals, didn't she?" Neji closed his soft ice white eyes and shook his head, as if he were giving a lecture to a child…unfortunately, Lee was no child, and hated being patronised.

"She offered me all of those kind words during my operation!" Slightly weak compared to the last argument, but still valid.

"Moral support for a friend. She does that with everyone she considers to be her friend…even Naruto…and she hated him more than you to start off with!" Neji scoffed. Winning this argument was all too easy…Lee hardly put up a fight against Neji's cool headed logic…perhaps because Lee's own style was to let his fists to the talking for him…

"But…but…maybe there is a chance…she spoke to me after Sasuke left for the Sound…" And there it was…hook, line, and sinker…another victory for Hyuuga Neji.

"She spoke to _me_ after Sasuke left. As a matter of fact, Lee, she spoke to a lot of people. It's called socialising, Lee. People who don't spend all their time training away in vain efforts to overcome their peers do it all the time! Get over yourself. She isn't interested! After all, do the words '_freak_' and _'fuzzy brows'_ mean anything to you?"

And that was the end of that chapter.

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Truth to be told, those words _did_ mean a lot to Lee. They meant heartache and hurt and rejection all in one, but…she never called him that anymore! She called him by his correct title! She called him 'Rock Lee' or even just 'Lee' depending on her mood!

As Shikimaru would have put it, love could be so…_troublesome_…

At this point…Lee was inclined to agree…

And still he continued to pine after her, until one day he decided to stop…completely…just not care anymore…Gai-Sensei wanted him to train more, and so he would! With brutality and harshness and…and…

And then he noticed Sakura…

Stood there on her own, the wind rushing through her hair, her soft pale face looking out over the bridge, taking in the view of the Cherry Blossom trees as they cast a veil of their soft pink petals around her; making her beauty seem more radiant than ever!

Lee froze…and his jaw was trying so hard to close…but it just wouldn't…

His perfect, beautiful, shining angel was stood there, looking all doe forlorn, probably mourning over Sasuke…and Lee couldn't tear his bugging out eyes away from her. Inside him, there was a form of inner Lee shouting at him _Hello? Remember our 'forget all about her' plan? Where did **that** go?_

He was inclined to agree with his inner self, but then she turned, and noticed him, and smiled…

"Hey, Lee…" Her voice rang out so softly, so delicate, and yet Lee never failed to catch any emotion within it. Pain, with a little hint of sadness, with a soft relief of someone to talk to. It was like her voice was entrapping him; urging him to some closer, to speak to her…if the Taijutsu user could find his tongue right at that moment…

"Sa-Saku-ra…?" He realised he was stammering and cleared his throat, trying to keep to his new promise or getting over her.

_Just as a friend, just as a friend. _His inner voice was repeating over and over in his head, and his chest ached as he sidled up to her, nearly two heads taller than her now, placing his hands on the wooden supports of the bridge.

_Like we did when I had my operation…or was it before? And she gave me the flowers…a beautiful bouquet…and I had to pick each petal off some of the flowers to make my decision…_

Lee blinked from the sudden memory and breathed in deeply, as if composing himself once more, before turning to her and flashing one of his greatest – yet fake – smiles.

"Sakura-chan!" His smile dazzled, his manner was…awkward, "How nice it is to see you after all these weeks! I have not seen you in such a long time! I trust you are doing well?"

She looked up at him, slightly taken aback by his loud and formal manner, but then cast her eyes back to the rippling water beneath them.

"As far as things go…I'm okay I guess…thanks, Lee…" Again, there was a hint of raw emotion and Lee felt his inner walls slowly crumbling.

_Forget a promise to myself! Sakura-chan is worth every last breath that comes out of me!_

"Are…are you sure, Sakura-chan?" Here it was…either it would come out as a ramble of nothingness, or as support to the woman he adored, "Your voice…seems…sad. I've noticed it…lately. You haven't spoken to anyone since…Naruto went away training…you've tried to…keep busy at the hospital…which is fine by the way! Nothing wrong with that! But I guess…what I'm trying to say is…"

Time slowed, and the words were echoing in his mind long before they passed his trembling dry lips.

_I'll always be there for you…Sakura-chan…_

"I…I'll always be there for you…Sakura-chan."

That was it…no 'nice guy' poses…no false smiles…and defiantly no need for a rigorous training session…just Rock Lee's own emotion trembling past his lips…barely audible…but still heard by the woman he wanted to hear them.

She smiled, and her eyes closed, her mind calculating his words, before she turned to face him unexpectedly, and one hand was placed over his rock hard abs, her fingers gently touching them through the spandex suit he always wore.

He could feel it too! The suit was like a second skin, and he could _feel_ her soft delicate fingertips grazing over his developing muscles, and it made him want to die right there right now; knowing he had died in pure bliss.

Just where was she going to head from there?

His mind swam with all the possibilities as her hand lingered there and her other arm sidled up the side of his face to run her fingers through his soft silky black hair (which she herself was surprised to find was completely smooth and silky, despite her earlier fears about it being sweat logged) bringing his height down to her own level with a gentle pull on his head.

They were face to face now and she leaned into his face, his heart nearly skipping a beat, her lips nearly against his own…and the she continued past that and towards his ear…

Rock Lee was in so much shock and confusion that he nearly missed her reply to his previous words, but it somehow got through his love clogged head.

"I know that…Rock Lee…"

He stood there in mute shock as she broke contact and left him standing there frozen in place, watching her back getting smaller and smaller as she strode away from him, his heart nearly threatening to wrench itself out of his chest.

In spite of himself he found his own promise shattered.

_She could refuse me a thousand times, and I could try to forget all about my precious Sakura Flower…but then she will do things, say things, that sound remotely like a chance of being with her…and I will be left like a fool…wondering what to do with the pieces of my heart…_

The worst part is…

_As long as there is even one chance…_

_Love still finds me running back to her…my beautiful…precious…person I wish to protect…_

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**Ashford2ashford: Yeah…most of my updates have been pretty much Lee-centric right now. I thought I'd balance out my Yaoi-centered fic, with a nice little Sakura and Lee (sittin' in a tree………sorry) one shot. I usually suck at doing one shots; always finding myself tempted to create a bloody chapter riddled novel, but I'm pretty proud of this one…**

**Anyway, reviews are much appreciated. No flames please, as is the usual policy. I hope you enjoyed my take on perhaps the most romantic green beast in all of Konoha. I'll probably be writing a few more on Lee…**


	2. Remembering

**As Long As There Is a Chance**

**Rating: **Everyone approved!

**Pairing: **Hint-age at Sakura and Lee…more from Lee's side…

**Disclaimer: **No owny. So endy.

**Timeline: **During the time skip. (Yes…I did something within a time line! How brave of me!)

**AN: **Oh yes. Due to the beautiful comments I received from all brave enough to leave one, I decided to write a second chapter for your pleasure. So I hope you all enjoy this continuation from my original work, and I tried hard to please you all!

EDIT: Okay…I knew that Gai sensei's name in the original Japanese was Maito Gai. I am aware of that. I changed the name to Japanese now.

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**As Long As There Is a Chance – Part Two**

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Lee remembered that day well…

On that day, Lee had proven one thing – not to anybody else, but to himself…that Rock Lee, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha…was madly in love with his _beautiful cherry blossom_…

His will shattered when Sakura spoke to him, his knees trembled, and his lips would quiver to the point where words were no longer an option.

She broke him, but not in a bad sense - or maybe it was bad for him and he just didn't see it that way – and Lee would continue to be broken time after time after time…

Sakura's lips had come within centimetres, he couldn't forget that moment. If he _had_ just moved his head a little, if he _had _nudged his lips towards hers that one little inch closer, and ifhe _had_ gone that far, he _would_ have kissed her.

Captured her soft petal lips within his own, and showed her what people who loved each other did every day, with every meeting, with every rise and set of the sun…

But he _hadn't_…

He had let that moment slip past him. Was it because he was too numb from her being so close? Was it because he was in shock at the time? Was Kami-sama himself preventing him from moving?

Either way, whatever the reason, that moment had slipped out of his fingers and had shattered upon the ground before him and all he got out of that precious moment was her soft breath tickling the inside of his ear, and his body's instant reaction to said motion.

Others would have been crushed, their hearts trampled on, but for Rock Lee…it had been a paradoxical moment of the most intense pleasurable moment of his life, mixed in with the gnawing pain of letting the moment slip.

If only he could just turn back time!

Do the things he _wanted_ to do, _have_ been ready to do, was _prepared_ to do now that he had thought about it…

But he _couldn't_…

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From then on, he had trained, as Rock Lee would have done, as the Taijutsu specialist he was would have done.

The romantic inside him hated every living breathing minute of it.

Rock Lee the Taijutsu master wanted to train until his fingers bled, until his muscles tore, until he breathed his last quivering breath, until…until…

Rock Lee the Romantic wanted to abandon his Sensei, abandon that place of pain and sweat, and go and capture his cherry blossom in a sweet embrace, and kiss those sweet petals that she called lips, and make her feel truly loved more than anything in the entire world!

The Romantic was in control of his body at the moment when a fist collided with his face and Rock Lee felt every last breath being taken out of him by the force. Blood splattered upon the ground, _no teeth loose this time_, and all he felt was the force of the hard earth against his shoulders and back as he landed a good few feet away from where he had been standing.

"Lee!" Gai Sensei's voice was jarring and loud.

Within moments, Lee was aware that his sensei was next to him on the ground, tilting his head and mopping at his blood stained lips with a damp cloth. Lee coughed in misery.

"Ano…training is over for today. Good work with those scrolls, Tenten – you just need some force behind your attacks now. Ah…Neji…no problems. Carry on as you have been." When concerned about something, Maito Gai could be almost considered at his wisest. Lee could picture him now, with _that_ look in his eyes, and with his lips tightened up in _that _way.

It only took a few seconds to get Lee back into reality, but for Lee time had slowed. It was an eternity of regret that had passed the minute his sensei's fist had collided with his face.

"Lee…" There it was…that serious look crossing Gai's face as he stared into the blank gaze of his '_most precious person_', "What happened out there?"

"I…am sorry, Gai Sensei." It wasn't the first time Lee had ever felt ashamed, but this time the shame felt much worse, "I…I do not know what is wrong…"

Gai sighed and sat down next to him. Lee was confused. Normally, when he made a mistake, that excuse would have worked, but this time, he saw an unreadable expression cross his beloved sensei's face.

And the next words that came out of Gai's mouth would make his heart want to burst from his chest.

"It's Sakura, isn't it, Lee? That day on the bridge…"

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Of course, neither Lee nor Gai had bothered to check whether people were still around first. In the moment that Gai paused to think about his next words and Lee digested them, someone else had heard her name being said and had begun to listen with keen interest.

Before then, she had been walking with Tsunade-sama and Shizune-senpai through the thick forests, looking for herbs with healing and medicinal properties.

They passed the clearing and caught sight of Team Gai training as they always did. Sakura couldn't help but look over at Lee. He seemed so out of himself today…

He and Gai were sparring, but Gai was overpowering him far too much for it to be considered normal. At that point, Gai's fist had hit its target and Lee was down.

"Baka." Sakura looked up as Tsunade-sama gave a soft shake of her head, "That boy is away in some other place than here. His head is in the clouds. It will cost him some day."

At that point, Sakura felt a gnawing in her chest.

In a way…she felt responsible for this…and she couldn't for the life of her think why.

"Sakura, go over there and heal that baka. The sooner Gai gets it out of his head to rush Lee in as an emergency case, the better." Tsunade didn't wait for a response. She pressed on with Ton Ton at her heels and Shizune following after.

Sakura was left alone, staring at the scene as Gai told the other members of his group to leave the scene. She felt her heart wrench and her stomach lurch as the piercing gaze of Hyuuga Neji met her own stare, and shot her a look that said '_you know it was you who caused this.'_

However, determined to not be put off by the Hyuuga, she broke the gaze and stepped forwards as the other two team members left guy and Lee alone.

Then she heard it.

Gai's voice was low, and serious, but still the words met her ears, "…Sakura, isn't it, Lee? That day on the bridge…"

Instinct made her crouch low, and her heart was threatening to burst from her chest there and then. She couldn't take her eyes off the two as Lee fell silent, and Gai played idly with the bloodied cloth.

Was this really her fault?

What day was he talking about?

As Lee turned his head to his sensei, Sakura remembered…

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"How do you - ?" Lee was stunned, and inside him his guts churned with warning. Was Gai Sensei mad somehow? He looked up with watering eyes, but the expression on Gai's face held no anger or malice. Not even disappointment – which was the most important thing to Lee.

Whenever Gai was disappointed in him, Lee lost his will to continue. Gai's approval was sometimes stronger than his need for Sakura, and his Sensei was one of the two people who could make that sick feeling occur inside his body, should Gai be disappointed in him.

"Ah, Lee, you forget…it's noticeable to my eyes when you're late by even a fraction." Gai Sensei was smiling now, his fatherly smile, the one reserved for times like these.

No…he couldn't be mad at Lee for this. He, if anything, understood of Lee's feelings and what would have been going through Lee's head the day Sakura made the move he'd regret. Some would call it weird, but Gai Sensei knew his student better than he knew his own mind.

"That day…your timing was off. So, I being your great and youthful sensei decided to meet you half way. Of course, you were taking the bridge route…and that's when I saw you two. Pretty as a picture." Gai was laughing gently, as if the memory was like that of a father realising his son is in love, "I saw what happened."

"Oh…Gai Sensei…" Lee was trembling, his shoulders shaking.

He felt…foolish.

"Lee…its okay to love someone…"

"Oh…Gai Sensei…I know…demo…it is a one sided love…" Lee's head was hung, his eyes staring over the training field at the wooden training post set up in the centre.

"She has told you this personally, Lee?" Gai had the habit of asking questions he already knew the answers to, just to lighten Lee's burden.

It worked.

Lee froze and looked up into Gai's eyes, sniffling gently, "Well…no…Sensei…"

"Then why worry? Do you believe she loves you back? You love her, Lee! One day you will capture her heart! After all…you'd make a cute couple!"

Lee was smiling gently now, wiping away tears and blood onto his bandaged sleeves. It was true…well…in Lee's mind it was true, but did that didn't matter.

Gai Sensei knew what to say…always…

"You and I…we're a lot alike, Lee! I'm sure I've mentioned that. Your honesty, bravery, and above all, your loyalty will take you far." His smile was always so sincere. For the first time in his life…Lee felt like he had gained a father.

Gai ruffled his hair, as he always did, with that same beaming smile – the proud smile.

"Go on, Lee. Go and get yourself cleaned up. We shall meet back here to engage in more youthful combat! And this time, no slacking off!" That was it. Gai had the motivating shout!

"Ossu!" Lee was on his feet in seconds and gone in even less time.

Gai sighed proudly and then turned to see a flurry of pink hair vanish into the trees. His grin faded and he sighed softly.

"I pray you don't break his heart, Sakura. There's only so much rejection one man can take…"

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**Ashford2ashford: **I will agree with all who say it isn't a patch on the original, but it is a start. I hoped you enjoyed the much more plot consumed chapter. A few things about Japanese:

**Kami-Sama** – God. Literally, just a way of saying God.

**Ano** – Umm…. That's what it means. Umm.

**Baka** – Idiot, moron

**Demo** – But… Normally used to indicate pause in sentence in replacement of 'but'.

**Ossu **– Literally means "thank you for teaching me" but can also can mean "Yes sir!" depends on usage.


	3. There Is Always A Chance

**As Long As There Is a Chance**

**Rating: **Everyone approved!

**Pairing: **Pure Sakura and Lee goodness in this chappy

**Disclaimer: **No own! No own!!!

**Timeline: **During the time skip. (Yet…after some conversations in this one…I wonder if I'm sticking with that…)

**AN: **Dedicated to InvaderWeb this time. This person writes pure genius works. You go read. You go review. NOW!

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**As Long As There Is a Chance**

**Chapter Three: There is always a chance**

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Gai-Sensei was one man who knew how to make people feel appreciated. There was no doubt, even in the blackest pits of Kakashi-Sensei's heart, that people were glad that there was always one man that could be counted on in Konoha to watch your back and tell you the god honest truth behind whatever it was he was thinking.

Gai-Sensei made Rock Lee feel strong; like he could take on the world and have no cares at all in doing so. With a thumb raised in jovial greeting, teeth so white they could blind if caught by the sunlight, and a twinkle in those hazel eyes, Gai-Sensei would always bring new strength to an early morning tired student.

Gai-Sensei made Lee truly happy, even when he felt like crying. There was nothing wrong in the gentle embraces that the two males often shared when either Lee or Gai were upset, and although people thought it to be wrong, there was certainly nothing wrong with the two being able to cheer each other up in this manner. When he thought of Gai-Sensei's kind words…Lee smiled.

Lee would often smile in that manner when he was truly happy. He would smile like that when he caught a glimpse of a squirrel darting in the corner of his eyes. His lips parted, teeth gleaming, and his eyes shining.

Right now…Lee was happy.

Even as he entered the hospital, his eyes glancing from left to right in search of Sakura-chan, he was still happy. Ready again to give it one last chance. Gai-Sensei believed in him. Gai-Sensei truly, honest-to-Godly believed in him, and it gave Lee new confidence in finally seeing Sakura-chan once again.

The bleeding was still quite bad, even for Lee's extremely fast healing, and Lee's hand wraps were covered in blood. As he entered the hospital, a nurse took one glance at him and rushed to his side – despite his still bloodied lips grinning with confidence.

"Rock Lee…what have you been doing again?" Lee recognised her as soon as he laid eyes on her. She was usually the one to greet him every time he injured himself during training. Time and time again he had been warned about training. Every sprained ankle, every bloodied nose, every broken bone…it had been seen by her.

She hated him for his persistence…

"How many times have I told you – "

Lee had learned to tune her out the more times he visited here. It was pointless explaining what had actually happened. To her, all she could see was a bloodied Lee. That was proof enough of his negligence…

"Is there a problem here?"

Le froze. He recognised that voice. Instinctively, his hand rushed upwards to try and hide his bleeding lip and cheek, even though he knew that the blood had already stained his hand wraps.

Turning, with an awkward and hidden smile, Lee bowed when his eyes lay upon the figure.

"Ah! Sakura-chan! I did not see you there! Forgive me! I was just – "

"Bleeding all over the place?" Sakura removed his hand and inspected the open wound; shaking her head and sighing as Lee turned a shade of red she'd never seen before on him – and it wasn't just the blood stains, "You were fighting again?"

"Ano…I got careless. I was punched."

Sakura did not really need to hear any of this, for she had seen the accident, had seen Gai Sensei rush to his students side, and had heard every word that the two 'green beasts' had exchanged, but something inside made her want to listen to Lee's half-baked excuse. Inside, she was happy that he was even talking to her. From what she had heard, in Lee and Gai's exchange, it took a lot of will and force for Lee to even talk to her without trembling.

It was a shame Lee had never mentioned it before – not that he would – because now, as he rambled on about a "glorious battle of wits and cunning" between him and his beloved sensei, she had more respect for him than she had ever had. Yes, he was rambling, but also he was the bravest man she knew. He was talking to her…as a friend would, not letting his feelings for her slow his rapid speech.

Lee was blushing too, and that made her giggle inwardly. She hadn't seen it before, but he was quite cute when he got all flustered and caught up in his rants. He slowed and then grinned in embarrassment, realising that his talking had caused more blood to pour.

Sakura laughed and took one of his hands – the not-so-blood stained one – and tugged him gently towards her part of Konoha's hospital, nodding at the nurse that Lee had been getting chastised by.

"I'll look after him. Come on, Rock Lee. Whatever shall we do with you, eh?" Although only his fingertips were visible behind his wraps, Sakura was surprised how soft Lee's hands actually were. She, perhaps, had expected them to be calloused and rough at least, what with all his 'youthful' training…

As for Lee…

The moment Sakura's fingertips had wrapped around what was exposed of his hand, his heart had nearly leapt out of his chest. Sakura-chan was smiling…beautifully…as always. She seemed so carefree when she was working in the hospital. It was like the hospital was home to an angel!

He found himself muted. He could feel her soft fingers curled around his fingertips, and although he didn't want to assume anything, he could have sworn she was brushing her thumbs against the visible part of his hand! It must have been his imagination, but did she seem happier perhaps?

Right now, Lee's mind and heart were working in overdrive.

_Speak! Speak to her, you fool!_

"Ano…Sakura-chan…if I may be so bold, and forgive me if I offend you in any way, in fact I do apologise in advance…" The infamous Lee ramble had taken over, and despite his bleeding lip, he couldn't stop it.

Sakura slowed and stopped, turning and looking at him with the most beaming and heavenly smile he had ever seen plastered onto her face. She seemed to gaze happily into his eyes, even giggling lightly as she faced him.

"Yes, Lee? What is it?"

_Oh lord! If I should offend her now, I will do a thousand laps around the village, and if I can not do that, I will do three thousand kicks on the training log, and if I can not do that I will…_

Even Lee's mind was rambling, it seemed.

He gulped and licked his lips, regretting it instantly and wincing as he tasted blood. His heart thudded making blood rush around his ears, making it impossible to think, "Well…it is not so much an offensive statement as it is an observation really, demo…would I be right in suggesting, or maybe perhaps pointing out, that you seem to be so full of the energy of youth today, Sakura-chan! I did not notice it before, demo you are beaming with the light of an angel! Perhaps our talk on the bridge in that long while back did you well?"

That night at the bridge had been on his mind all the time he had been with her today. Maybe it was her dramatic happiness shift? Maybe it was the way she was giggling and smiling at him. He did not know. Either way…he felt a little happier in seeing her like this…

She seemed to be thinking his words over, her eyes flickering a little as she did so, and then much to Lee's surprise, she laughed. It was a soft and gentle laugh, but it was a genuine one, and Lee felt it in his heart.

"Oh Lee…" She was still laughing, and her hand seemed to grip tighter around his fingertips. Lee could not take his eyes off her. Every minute seemed like an hour for him now. Her happiness filled him with his own kind of content happiness. He adored her even more so when she smiled.

"I…I'm so happy right now. Rock Lee…I guess I've been thinking about what you said to me that day. I don't know what I was thinking, leading you on like that. It must have been hard for you." Lee felt his heart wrench. She had read his mind. There could be no other explanation as to how she knew this. His lips were drying and the blood seemed to cease flowing, as if her words were the things healing him, "Lee. I was troubled. I couldn't talk to anyone. Not Naruto. Not Kakashi Sensei. Not even Tsunade-sama. All these years…with the Akatsuki threat…and with all my training…Lee…I felt I wasn't strong enough. I felt like I was always letting everyone down.

"I…I don't know if I ever told you this…but that night…when Sasuke left to go with Orochimaru…I tried to stop him. Oh gods Lee…I tried to stop him going, but I was weak…I let him slip through my fingers." Her eyes were teary and she let go of his hand to sob into her own hands gently.

Wound forgotten, and yet as expected, Lee was there immediately. He took hold of her shoulders and brought her close to his chest – regardless of how much blood had flowed all over it. His arms felt so comforting around her…for a few moments; Sakura wondered briefly how she had never felt this with Lee before – given his eagerness over the past few years. She closed her eyes, wiped her tears away on her hands and looked up at him, continuing.

"Lee…I trained hard. I trained under Tsunade-sama to become strong. It was all thanks to you that I did it, did you know? You showed me that through hard work and determination…that even those with the weakest of body and weakest of soul could become mighty and strong…like you and Gai Sensei…"

It was warm praise, and instantly, the emotional green beast stared to tear up, "Oh…Sakura-chan…"

Sakura laughed softly, and because he was starting to cry, felt her own tears start to try and force their way out. Maybe they were both just a pair of emotional fools? It didn't help when his grip on her tightened a little and she found herself closer to Lee than she had ever been.

"I feel…I feel stronger Lee. I thought I was depressed. I thought I was still angry and hurt over Sasuke…but…I realised that I'm not. Not at all, and I never had reason to ever be. I ignored the people who could be there for me. I ignored you, Lee. There isn't a moment when I don't regret doing that to you.

"After that night on the bridge…I didn't feel anything. I felt like you were just saying what you were expected to say as a friend…but then…I…heard something…saw something that made me change my opinion about you. I think…that what I do and say matters more to you than I think it does."

Lee was nodding, his large brown eyes watering as he fought to stop himself from crying. He was making that soft whimpering noise as she spoke. It was kind of cute now that Sakura could understand the emotion behind it. At that point, he seemed unable to speak, so she continued.

"Lee…I've seen you…seen you looking so down…and you know what I think…I think that this wound was you being distracted wasn't it? No way would you allow Gai Sensei to land a punch during training."

"Oh…Sakura-chan!" Lee was crying freely now, and Sakura giggled a little at this. She couldn't help it. He was just so adorable! Her giggling seemed to give him courage though, "Boku wa…boku wa…can not help being this way! Sakura-chan…I think about you more than anything! More so now than ever! That day on the bridge…Sakura…I thought you were playing games with my heart! On that day…I was ready to quit being so addicted to you! Like you were…an addiction of some sort! I did not realise that like an addiction I could not quit so easily. I can not quit you! Not when I need you so much! My mind has been distracted! My training has been sloppy! What must Gai Sensei think of me?"

Sakura smiled and brushed her fingers over Lee's mouth gently. Shivering visibly from the contact, Lee felt her chakra flow into him and begin to sew his wound shut. She then leaned forwards and stared evenly at him, a smile playing on her lips.

"I have to forget Sasuke, Lee…because…I'm in love with someone else."

Lee felt like he'd been delivered a second blow to the face. She was in love with someone else? Who could it be? How long would he have to compete for her love for?? Why did he not see this coming??? How could he have even had the audacity to think that she would pine over Sasuke forever???? IT WAS NARUTO WASN'T IT? It had to be!!!

Sakura watched his dreamy smile fade and he seemed unresponsive for a few minutes. She giggled when she realised why. Was this boy born to be so humble? Lee was a master at misunderstanding…

"Lee."

He snapped out of his daze at the sound of her voice and nodded eagerly, as if trying to hide his feelings again.

"Hai, Sakura-chan?"

It could be said that Rock Lee did not expect what happened next, and despite his constant addiction to Sakura he was most definitely not prepared for it – and never would be.

It was like the scenario at the bridge was repeating itself, and her fingers seemed to linger over his lips; gentle and soothing. Her eyes closed, Lee's heart sped up, and then he felt it.

This time she did not pass by his cheek and whisper in his ear.

Lee felt his soul leave him.

The kiss was soft, unprepared, and brief, yet it felt like heaven to the young male Chuunin. Her lips were so soft and as delicate as cherry blossom petals, and she smelt of flowers and of a beautiful summer breeze. If she was what heaven felt like, then Lee would have gladly died in that instant.

Their lips parted and Lee returned to earth from his cloud. He was disappointed and sorry it had to end, but she was blushing and smiling in such a manner, that it really didn't matter.

Sakura looked up at him and caught his gaze and Lee was pulled in close to her, her beautiful long fingers wrapped around his hands.

"Rock Lee…I love you."

…

…

**Ashford2ashford: **_It can be said that I am no good at writing romance. I agree whole heartedly with this statement and yet feel that this is the best I can do. I like this. I like how I spend most of my time trapped in Lee's thoughts. He's so emotional and fun to write. _


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